Taking the Blue Bus – An Exciting Day!
By: Rebecca, MSW
Today I had an appointment at the hospital regarding my wheelchair seating because I’ve been in a lot of pain. I specifically made the appointment at the hospital because there is a “blue bus” route that I could take me there. The blue bus is the university’s fixed route bus service. I’ve ridden it a few times with my mom but felt confident enough to go by myself this time. Which I did! I made it to the pickup point, waited for the bus, explained where the driver could put the tie downs on my chair, got to the hospital and navigated to where my appointment was on my own! This is super exciting because it’s just one more experience of being independent. I even went to the hospital cafeteria and got a chocolate chip bagel after the appointment as a snack. The trip wasn’t without a few delays/issues though. I had to wait a little while both going to the hospital and coming home because the app on my phone was off by a few minutes on when the next bus was supposed to arrive. Both times when it said I had a few minutes left I headed towards the stop and watched the bus drive away. Furthermore, because the ramps on the buses aren’t utilized that much the driver had to fiddle with them and eventually help manually unfold and refold them so I could enter and exit the bus. But, we made it work and I’d say the trip was a success!